Through Cold Glass
by StarlightNinjaThief
Summary: What if the Boost Job hurt eliot more than Parker knew? can she save his life?
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: this was going to be a one-shot but two-shot and three-shots with cliffhangers seem easier LOL. won't be longer than that though. this story was partly inspired by thetrueparadisecity's video for Eliot/Parker I'd Come For You.

* * *

**__Just One more moment, that's all that's needed._  
_Like wounded soldiers in need of healing._  
_Time to be honest, this time I'm bleeding_  
_Please don't dwell on it, cause I didn't mean it ~~ Nickelback_

The soles of her black and white sneakers pounded harshly as she ran, the squish of rain and _other things_ making the movement slightly difficult. But she continued as fast as she could at a dead run. _Dead._ No! She shook her head, wet blonde hair flying. No, no _dead_ anything. Just no. She wouldn't allow it.

_Seeing him, her protector, her own ninja, collapse like that scared her more than anything. She hadn't been that terrified since the foster home back in Texas..._

* * *

As Parker dangled outside of Eliot's apartment she felt some hesitation. Which was strange; usually she just barged right in. He would grumble or curse and then eventually give in and let her stay for a movie or something. That would make her sly smile appear because truth was, even if she annoyed him sometimes, he still enjoyed her company better than the rest.

So why was she nervous now? Parker guessed it had to do with that tingly feeling in her tummy; the one she'd had for awhile now whenever around the Hitter. The Thief had thought of asking Sophie about what it meant but with the issues she had going with Nate, that didn't seem like a good idea right now. But she knew enough to figure out she was developing feelings for Eliot. Where they'd lead she had no clue but besides, he always called her insane. _He couldn't have felt the tingly feeling right?_

But Parker never cowered, hadn't for a long time and certainly not from Eliot. So pushing open the window, she hopped in before closing it. She made a point of sneaking around but had really only snuck up on the trained Hitter once. She heard the punching bag swinging to a stop in the spare room; the sizzling of something on the stove. Parker's nose scrunched up though. It was burnt, that couldn't be right. Hurrying in she found Eliot bracing himself against the counter.

"You forgot the food," she pointed out, not knowing what else to say.

Eliot took a shaky breath and looked up at her. Fever-bright blue eyes, pale and clammy skin, no something was definitely not right here. "Parker, g-get out," he growled.

_Ok so maybe he's still mad about the car thing._ But it wasn't her fault, she figured after he stormed out of the office and huffed a bit he'd be fine. _Guess not. Oops._ "You sick?"

"Concussion, I'll live. Now get out."

"You don't burn your food," the thief stated bluntly. That was probably her first clue. And as he yet again opened his mouth to yell at her, Parker watched in horror as Eliot's eyes rolled up and he collapsed with a strangled grunt. "Eliot!" Running to him, she looked him over. Basic first-aide told her not to move him to much but he had a concussion and she knew passing out was _very_ bad.

Lifting his head into her lap, noticing his bandanna was forgone tonight, her hand came away with blood.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Just so everyone knows, the song I'm using is I'd Come For You by Nickelback. I will be slightly changing order of the verses but that's it. Also, sorry it's taking so long, I'm still sick. Oh, thanks to Heather & Jess for the help :)**_

* * *

Nate and Sophie pushed the heavy white doors open, rushing to the desk as sirens faded outside. Eliot hated hospitals; if he was brought here then it had to be severe. "We're here for Eliot Ryan, he was brought in about twenty minutes ago?" Sophie pushed out in a scared voice.

"And you are?" the clerk asked.

"I'm his brother," Nate answered.

"Right. He was taken right down -" Suddenly all three heard a loud crash of equipment down the hall.

The mastermind and grifter ran there just in time to see a doctor groan, pushing himself from the floor, and a nurse looking perplexed at the open window as a flash of blonde hair disappeared through it.

"Who are you?" the doctor questioned.

"Family for Eliot Ryan, what happened to him?" Sophie asked.

"Ah, the head trauma, yes. Well, right this way." The old man led them upstairs to another wing of the hospital. They'd given the hitter his own room, thinking it'd be wise for what the doctor had to tell them...

Standing outside the room, Nate once again asked what exactly happened.

"Did your brother recieve any other injuries today? Before the hit to the head, that is."

"He uh...well, he was hit by a car but other than a few scrapes he was fine. He's a bodyguard and knows to spot other injuries. Why, was there complications?"

"There was. As the nurse stated when she called you, Mr Ryan was brought in with a rather hard knock to the back of his skull. Enough to bleed heavily and that coupled with the concussion caused him to collapse."

"Oh, my!" Sophie exclaimed. "Where's his - uh his - girlfriend? Wasn't she with him?"

"The blonde?"

"Yes, her name's Parker." The hitter and thief weren't exactly dating but it worked for now. She got him here, that's what counted.

"Miss Parker was very upset. She had his blood on her clothes and it took several minutes for EMT's to pry her away. Then she became hysterical in the ER."

Sophie gasped and Dr James looked to Nate. "Mr..."

"Jackson. Nathan Jackson."

"Mr Jackson, we tried to explain your brother's condition and his girlfriend, well she literally jumped out the window. Luckily it was the first floor."

The couple traded looks. They doubted a floor number would've stopped her if she was that upset. Both Eliot and Parker had been shaken up today even though they tried to hide it. "Parker witnessed him being hit, she was still in shock," Sophie lied away smoothly. Truth was they didn't understand why she'd reacted so emotionally but for the young girl nothing was ever normal or easily explainable.

"That's understandable."

"Will Eliot be alright?" Nate asked.

"Yes, he will be in a few days. The concussion is severe so we stitched up his cuts and we're keeping him until he wakes up. After that we'll be monitoring him to ensure no further complications arise. When he wakes though is really up to his body."

"We understand, thank you."

When the doctor left, Nate and Sophie sat quietly outside Eliot's room. Watching him through the window. Nate sighed; rattled by just being in the hospital. And now they're called because their seemingly invincible hitter was found by their crazy thief, passed out on his kitchen floor? This was too much.

"He'll be alright, Nate. He's right here," Sophie pointed to the bed. "We're all worried but we should also be worried about Parker."

He nodded and exhaled heavily. "I don't know what's going on between them, but judging what happened today, and over the coms, she's probably just scared. She's done this before when we all found out about her brother."

"But now this is Eliot. Nate, she -"

The mastermind cut her off. "I know, Soph. She needs to come to terms with that first." How ironic he said that considering their own messed up love life.

* * *

Nate watched as Eliot twitched restlessly, even knocked unconscious. The hitter was never used to staying still or sleeping very long. He'd tend to his wounds alone, sometimes with an extra hand, then go away for a few days and then come back ready to go.

He'd warned the doctor that even injured, when Eliot awoke, they had to give him full warning before they did anything. Eliot usually acted accordingly in hospitals and kept low-key but this time he'd been out cold when brought in and would be confused. It wouldn't be the first time the hitter punched first, asked later. The uneasiness and lines on Eliot's face increased as he twisted in his sleep.

_Dark shadows filled his mind and not for the first time. He'd have scoffed and beat down whatever enemy was haunting him if something wasn't off. Something eerie._

_"Ok which of you idiots am I beating today?" he growled._

_Suddenly a scene from earlier that day, week, however long he'd been out, filtered in. He was on the docks, hiding behind the pillar as he watched the gunman drag Parker out of the car. Only difference was Hardison wasn't there. She was alone and standing in front of the edge as they ordered for her to raise her hands._

_Parker spotted him sneaking up behind the first gunman and that's when the fight broke out. It was going normally, though his head spun as his body twisted and he fought the two guys. Parker was taking down the third when he heard her yelp quietly and froze._

_Eliot's head snapped up upon hearing a gunshot. The guy had freaking shot her! He got hit in the process - she pulled him into a choke hold as practiced. But somehow one of the fallen men had grabbed their guns and fired at his thief!_

_As she dropped to the damp ground, Eliot rushed forward. He stifled his body's own groans as he pulled her into his arms. Instinct had one hand going to stop the blood flow while the other cradled her head._

_'Parker, c'mon, darling. Look at me.' Tapping her cheek lightly._

_She cried out as he put pressure on the wound. 'E-eliot, you're bleeding,' she croaked as she touched his brow._

_'Huh, well so are you. You're moreso.'_

_'I-' but she didn't get to say more as the blonde thief's head lolled to the side and her eyes closed._

_'Parker? Parker, no! Wake up, Parker!' He gathered her fully into his lap as he rocked her._  
**~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~**  
Meanwhile, Parker found herself halfway to her warehouse. Had she really run that far from the hospital? _Wow._ She needed to pick some things up anyway, needed to keep her fingers busy. Her mind busy so she didn't jump the nearest building without gear because her thoughts were so fogged over - with _his blood._ So when she reached the tiny bathroom she furiously scrubbed her hands; trying to convince herself Eliot was with Nate and would be fine. _He has to be, Nate would yell at him if he wasn't. He'd start drinking again and Eliot would threaten him again._ She couldn't let that happen.

Changing her clothes had left Parker more shaken than before, if that was even possible. Her pink shirt had a bloody smudge on it from where Eliot's head lay. But she forced herself to rip it off and decided to burn it later. Like he did with his memories.

Slipping on one of the grey plaid shirts she'd stolen from the Hitter himself (she thinks he knows but the girl's a thief and so he didn't bother mentioning it. She'd lifted a little something from all of them), Parker found a warm blue one for Eliot. They didn't exactly know how to define this _thing_ between them yet but it was clear they liked each other a lot.

See, the Thief and Hitter had gone for drinks a few times, just the two of them. More often than not it'd end up at his place with a quiet dinner or movie. She didn't know if that meant they were dating but it was _confusing_ even at the best of times.

So Parker kept throwing things into her bag. She didn't have enough time to run back to the apartment and grab Eliot's guitar, but what she took from her bed would offer comfort just the same. Steeling herself she made her way back to the hospital...

_~ I finally know just what it means to let someone in_  
_To see the side of me that no one does or ever will_  
_So if your ever lost and find yourself all alone_  
_I'd search forever just to bring you home ~_

* * *

_Eliot put more pressure on Parker's bleeding wound, forgetting his own throbbing shoulder and head. His injuries could wait; the tiny blonde was _dying_ in his arms and he couldn't allow that. 'C'mon, Darling. Open those blue eyes for me.' Shifting her position in hopes it'd wake her._

_But she only groaned and curled into his chest. Dropping a kiss to her forehead he cursed at it's coolness. He had to get her out of here. Slowly standing, he stumbled as the Hitter tried to get his Thief to safety, to save her life._

_But suddenly the ground shook and she was no longer in his arms. 'Parker!' he called._

_'Eliot,' a deep voice resonated._

_'No! You're not taking her, I'll kill you!'_

_'Eliot!' this time a woman's voice._

_'What the - ' and he felt a weight pulling him backwards, back onto cold hard ground._  
**~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~*EP~**  
"His fever's rising, we have to cool him down," the doctors told Nate and Sophie.

"Is he ok?" a tiny voice asked from the door. The team turned to see Parker, a bag clutched in her hands.

"Complication from the head trauma," a nurse explained pushing them back.

And with that, three of the five on the Leverage team (Hardison was securing ID's) paced and waited. Sophie had tears in her eyes, Nate was itching for a drink - just being here made his skin crawl - and Parker was walking a hole in the floor. Hands fidgeting at her sides as she kept checking exits and windows.

Finally, after a long and agonizing hour, the doctor stood in front of them.

"How is he?" Sophie asked.

"Eliot is stable for now. We've got cooling blankets on him to lower his core temp and if that evens out he'll be ok. It all depends on when he wakes though, that will determine the effects the concussion had on his brain."

"Can we see him?" Parker spoke at last.

The doctor smiled encouragingly at her. "Of course, don't stay too long though."

Everyone breathed a sigh and slumped into the chairs. The blonde thief though had her face pressed against the window.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: sorry this took so long, there was a mini-freakout going on and life got hetic. but here ya'll go, Through Cold Glass is finally finished!**_

* * *

As dawn approached the following day, the nurses and Leverage team hadn't been surprised Parker was still there. Eliot had yet to wake from his head injury but he had been restless and twitchy in his sleep. Nate had arrived at 9am and was now sitting in a chair, opposite the corner which held the thief. Her eyes flickered as he said good morning but she'd been so distant, he wasn't sure how much sunk in.

So now he sat reading a book as his foot tapped against the floor. He hated hospitals and it was taking all of his willpower to stay here. The only reason he didn't have alcohol was Sophie had threatened him. And he didn't doubt she'd follow through this time...

A rough groan startled him and he sat forward. Eliot's head rolled to the side and he mumbled something. "Eliot, can you hear me?" Nate questioned.

It took a few moments for his blue eyes to open slightly. "Mghm..." he murmed, mouth feeling like cotton.

"Ok, hangon." The mastermind brought a cup of water and straw to the hitter's lips and let him cool his throat. He looked at Parker as Eliot took a few breaths and tried to orient himself; but other than a tilt of her head, the thief hadn't noticed. At least not outright. "Parker," he called, still gaining no response.

"Wha's wrong with 'er?" the man in the hospital bed asked. He could sense the worry around their teammate.

"She's uh - just a bit rattled. We were all worried for you."

"'m fine," he mumbled trying to shift. He didn't get far as his headache reawakened.

"Easy, El. You have a nasty concussion."

He ignored Nate for the moment. "Can we..." vaguely gesturing to the corner of the room.

"Oh, yeah, she may feel better if you talk to her. I'll go find a doctor or someone." And with that he was gone.

Very carefully Eliot moved so he was looking in the thief's direction. He was faintly aware that she had found him passed out in his apartment. "Parker," he tried softly.

All she did was look up but not quite at him.

"Parker!" he said more firmly. He'd only seen her like this one other time. Back when they were teens and she had seen him shoot - no! No thinking of that right now. Parker was scared and not like his usual crazy thief. He could kick himself for letting her see him so beat up.

With the order, she jumped to her feet, now looking at him with wide eyes. She tried to say something, yell at him, call him stupid, anything! But couldn't make the words.

Eliot clicked his tongue softly, like he'd done to get her on the helicopter when Sterling arrested Nate. Reaching out for her hand. "C'mon, come here," voice still groggy from medication but he had to ensure she was ok.

Parker shuffled her feet and found the noise of them odd. She was usually so quiet. She knew he was injured and it was because of her. _He could've drowned because of her; wouldn't have woken up..._...

Grabbing for her hand, he frowned when she flinched and whimpered. She rarely ever pulled away from him, much less cowered. _What was wrong with his girl? More wrong than usual, that is._

"What's the matter?" he asked again.

It took a few moments and she stayed looking down but his sensitive hearing picked up her words. "It's my fault, I'm sorry."

"It what? Parker. Look. At Me," he stated.

This time she did with watery eyes. Her brain screaming at her not to show weakness but she was tired and needed to know he was going to _stay alive._"It's my fault! I told her what the con was and you got hit by a car and I told you to get over it! We're the good guys, I'm not a good guy!"

Slightly stronger now, Eliot again reached for Parker's hand and pulled her onto the bed. He bit back a groan as he held her but he had to do this. She needed to know he'd be there; and if he was honest with himself, he needed to feel she was alive.

**_I finally know just what it means to let someone in_**  
**_To see the side of me that no one does or ever will_**  
**_So if your ever lost and find yourself all alone_**  
**_I'd search forever just to bring you home_**

Both hitter and thief had abandonment issues. Maybe her moreso. But that's why they distanced themselves. _But when we started this thing I knew I could never leave her. _In between Parker's mumblings, she looked up at him. "I was - scared. You growled but instead of yelling, you just...you fell. You're Eliot, you don't fall. You don't give up. I knew something was wrong so I called 911...Maybe there's something wrong with me, I always get you hurt."

"STOP right there, darlin'. Now listen to me," he told her. "I should've took off long ago, kept you all from getting mixed up with me. But we're a team now and I can't just back out on that." Eliot tugged the tiny blonde better into his arms. "I don' know what you and me got goin' here, but it's solid. I won't leave you, Parker."

She gasped, sitting up to look in his eyes. The blue eyes of the man who always stood by her - the hitter with a heart - were a little hazy but for once unguarded. Neither person was good with feelings but this felt right. "...But you called me a menace. I almost got you killed!"

"But you didn't. Look, Parker, I was in pain and didn't mean what I said." _Yeah, she annoyed him sometimes but most of the time, growling is just a default. He never meant to hurt her._"Accidents happen, it was that driver's fault, not yours. You hear me?"

And after a moment of searching each other's faces, Parker nodded slowly and lay her head carefully on his shoulder. He inhaled her scent, the nightmare finally starting to abate. His head was drumming and he was stiff; but he had his thief and they were both alive.

The peace only was slightly broken when a nurse came in followed by the rest of the Leverage team. The hitter growled protectively but that was a good sign. Parker sighed, finally relaxing.

No more cold glass surrounded them, whether it be water, hospital windows, or the walls they'd built around their hearts.

A small smile grace her lips as her Bunny lay tucked between her and Eliot. Hey, it helped her so why not him right?

"Is that my shirt you're wearing?" Eliot mumbled.

**THE END!**

* * *

**_AN: not sure if I like that ending but I hope it's not too ooc. I hope you all enjoyed this small story.  
Thank you._  
**


End file.
